by Cynthia Eden
His mate.
He had her scent, and he wouldn’t lose it. He flew over the terrain, ignoring the frigid cold temperature–an artic chill that he knew would be cutting into Paige. The cold wouldn’t kill a vamp, but it would make her body tremble and shake. She’d suffer out there.
She’d already been in pain when she left him.
And the only damn thing he wanted to do was take that pain away.
He bounded through the forest and sent snow flying in his wake. The world was a blur of white, but he could just see the imprints of her footsteps.
He knew where she was going.
Inside the body of the beast, the man cursed.
The wolf ran faster, faster…
She’d never seen him in this form. Before, he’d been ashamed for her to see him transform. He knew what he was…
“Guess I am a monster…” Her words were burned into his mind.
But he’d been the monster. Always. The beast who’d taken what he should never have touched.
He leapt into the air, easily jumping over a fallen tree. Her scent was stronger now. Strawberries. Sex. Woman. He’d never been able to forget that lush scent.
The small lake was frozen, its surface dark and glistening. Even though it was day, the sky overhead was as dark as the lake. No sunlight.
Not now.
Just cold. Just darkness.
Paige spun at his approach and put her back to the lake. Her eyes widened when she saw him. Swallowing, she backed up a step.
He froze.
Then he changed, for her.
The transformation was brutal to watch. He knew it had to be. His bones shifted and broke, reshaped into a man’s body instead of the form that belonged to the beast. The fur seemed to melt from his body. Soon paws and claws became hands and fingers–fingers that had dug deeply into the snow.
“Drake?”
Her hushed voice pushed through the last of the shift, and, naked, he glanced up at her.
Paige rushed toward him. “You shouldn’t be here!”
“Neither…should you.” He rose before her. Wind whipped against his body, but werewolves always stayed warm no matter what the outside temperature was. The beast burned within.
Paige shivered.
He took a step toward her, but she stiffened, and her gaze darted around the small clearing. “It’s dangerous. I didn’t think–we need to go back.”
Drake lifted his hand and offered it to her. “Then come with me.” He knew why she’d run from the compound. Desperation and pain had driven her to flee blindly.
I wasn’t at the lake.
But she had been. He knew a lie when he heard it.
“I’m sorry.” The words were torn from him. Jeremiah had come to him, told him that he had a message from Paige. “Your little human said to meet you in two hours.” Jeremiah had smiled and flashed his fangs. “That gives us time for a hunt.”
And he’d just…gone off with the bastard.
Paige wasn’t taking his hand.
Her gaze was on him, sweeping over his body. She hadn’t been disgusted by his shift, and she sure didn’t appear disgusted by what she was seeing right then.
Lust. He knew that expression well. But he hated the mix of lust and pain in her eyes. He hated to see any pain in her gaze.
He’d rather just have the lust.
“Come with me,” he said again, and he still waited for her to take his hand. There would be no forcing on this. She had to choose to come with him.
To be with him.
Her gaze swept around the lake. The woods. She inched toward him. The snow crunched beneath her boots. “I-I didn’t…you shouldn’t have followed me.” Her words rushed out. “I just needed a little time…”
“There’s a vamp hunting you,” he told her. Hell, it was probably a whole gang of vamps now. “You really think I’d just leave you on your own?”
No. Her hand lifted and slowly, so slowly, her gaze met his. Her fingers touched his hand. Tentative. Soft. “I lied,” she whispered.
His fingers closed around hers. “What?” But he already knew and if she wanted to confess to him, he’d damn well listen.
He should have met her here, at Lost Lake. He should have told Jeremiah to screw off, that he was still heading out to meet Paige and that he’d just wait for her to show.
If he’d gone then, they would have been married by now. Had children. Had a fucking perfect life.
It was all his fault.
But then he heard the growl of an engine. No, not just one engine. Two. Three.
Coming close.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Her eyes still held his. “I lied,” she said again, then she jerked her hand free from his grip and shoved against his chest. “Run!”
The vampires were coming.
“Shift! Turn back into a wolf!” Paige yelled at him. “You can outrun them, you can get away!”
“Not without you.” His claws tore through his flesh. He’d be damned if he left her behind.
She shook her head and shoved harder against him. “It’s not about me. They don’t want me.”
But–but she’d told him–the vampire she’d called Gabe–
“They want you,” she said, voice stark and sad. Her eyes had never looked bigger. Or sadder. “And Gabe always planned to use me…in order to get you.”
He could see the light from the snowmobiles cutting through the darkness. The vamps were closing in on them.
The vamps wouldn’t get them, though. Dumbasses. Drake knew this land so well.
Better than any vampire ever could. His beast ran free often. Knew every fallen tree. Every secret bend. Every dark cave.
Every hiding spot.
“Run with me,” he told her. Because right then, it wasn’t about fighting, even though the beast within was roaring for blood. That moment was about protecting Paige. Getting her to safety.
Then coming back to cut down all the vampires after him.
She nodded, and they took off, racing not around the lake, but right across it. It was icy and slick beneath their feet, frozen solid, and by going straight across that cold surface, they saved valuable time.
The ice wouldn’t break. Not for months.
They cleared the lake. Entered the edge of the forest, where the heavy weight of the snow had bent the trees. Because they’d gone right across the lake then leapt into the woods, they didn’t leave any footprints behind.
Well, no footprints that would be seen immediately. The vamps would have to search first, scanning every edge of the woods, then if they got lucky, they might see the tracks just past the trees but–
But it was starting to snow again.
Hell, yes. The snow came down, brushing against his skin as they ran. The fresh snow would cover any tracks they left behind.
A wolf would have been able to track them through the snow. Vamps were no match for wolves when it came to stalking prey.
No match.
Paige stumbled and would have fallen, but he just grabbed her and hoisted her into his arms. Her weight didn’t slow him. He pushed faster. Held her tighter.
He leapt easily over the dead trees, the rough rocks. Faster…
Drake turned abruptly, heading toward the cabin that he knew would be waiting. Small, non-descript, the snow almost hid it completely from view. But he knew the cabin was there, waiting.
The vamps wouldn’t be so lucky. Unless they knew the specific location of this safe house, they’d never find it in the darkness.
He punched in the security code, then shouldered open the door. Still holding her tightly, Drake carried Paige inside. The interior was pitch black, and their ragged breathing seemed to echo in the tight space.
“We can’t stay here,” Paige said, voice desperate. Her nails sank into his shoulder. “We need to get back to the compound. They’ll find you here! You can’t face all of them on your own!”
He put her down beside him. The cabin w
as sparsely furnished in this area–containing just a bed and an old table. But looks could be deceiving. Drake bent down and yanked back an old rug, a rug that had covered a trapdoor on the floor. When he’d had the cabin built, Drake had made sure that the trapdoor blended seamlessly with the floor. He pressed against the wood, in just the right spot. With a creak, the trapdoor opened, revealing the gaping entrance that led below.
He’d created this safe house for any wolf shifters who got caught outside the compound during the winter storms. The place was supposed to be a safe harbor for them.
One with all the benefits and security that a wolf needed.
Paige crept down the stairs. He shut the door behind her. Bolted it. Then punched in a series of codes on the alarm pad.
There was a faint hum, then a steel door slid closed above him, covering the wood. Lights flickered on, one after the other, revealing an area twice as big as the cabin above them.
One wall was composed of monitors. A security station that showed all the area around the cabin, just in case any unwanted guests came calling.
There was a bed. A desk. A cabinet full of food.
All the comforts of home and all the security of a mini-fortress.
Just what he’d wanted.
Drake headed toward the nearby desk. He lifted up the radio–one that was wired to the compound. “Alpha One.”
Paige made no sound behind him.
Static crackled. “Reading you sir, over.”
Drake glanced back at Paige. So still. So beautiful. “Send hunters to Lost Lake. The vamps are out there.”
He’d be taking care of this theat. Eliminating the vampires permanently, right after…
After he settled a few things between him and Paige.
“Yes, sir.” It was Michael’s voice. Drake caught the eagerness in the guy’s quick reply. Who didn’t enjoy a good hunt?
No wolf he knew.
Drake pushed away from the desk. Stalked toward Paige. She was still shivering but she stood straight and tall. She stared at him like she thought he would attack her.
He did want to pounce.
He lifted his hand and let it skim down her cold cheek. “Tell me about your lies, sweet.”
She turned her face into his touch. “You should…find some clothes.”
“Why?” Wolves had never been concerned with modesty. “I’m about to fuck you.”
Her eyes widened.
Now he was the one lying. With her, it wasn’t just fucking. Not just screwing in the dark–or the light. It was more.
Mating.
He took a breath and could almost taste her. “Tell me the secrets you’ve been keeping…tell me…and I’ll tell you mine.”
She shook her head. “You know–”
“The vampires were watching the compound. They saw you leave.” Obvious. He wasn’t a damn idiot. Desperate for her, yeah, but not stupid. “Then they saw me.” The vamps had given chase, but they would have been watching from a distance, probably using scopes or binoculars, so it had taken them a while to close in. “And they came out to kill me.”
He stepped closer. Pressed his lips against her throat and inhaled her scent. Sex and woman. His. “You were sweet bait.” He didn’t care. The vampires had hurt her. Tortured her. Used her against him. She’d been sent to lure him out in the open.
So the fuck what?
He still wanted her. Always would.
“No.” Her word was a sigh as her hands lifted to curl around his shoulders. “You don’t understand.”
He licked her neck. Her shiver wasn’t from the cold that time. “Make me understand.” Because he could see a pretty clear picture. She didn’t have a choice. The man understood that, and he was furious at the vamps who’d done this to her. “You should have just told me, from the start. I could have protected you–”
Her nails dug into his skin. “No.”
Surprised by the fury in that one word, Drake lifted his head and stared down at her.
Her breath whispered out as she stared at him. Her eyes were chips of green ice. “This time,” she told him, “I’m protecting you.”
What?
Then she wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him toward her. Her lips were open, slightly cool, and her mouth–perfect.
His cock was already hard. Like the cold had put a damper on that. He ached for her, and that bed was just waiting for them.
One step.
Two.
Three.
They fell onto the bed. His hands fought to remove her clothes even as she kicked away her boots. He wanted in her. The truth, the lies–all that could wait. Right then, he just needed her.
The lake…
Waiting…
He wasn’t gonna wait anymore. They stripped in a tangle of hands. Fabric ripped. Boots and shoes hit the floor.
He tore her panties and tossed them aside. He pushed open her legs. Found her hot, soft. He pushed her legs farther apart and stared down at her pink flesh. So damn pretty.
Because he couldn’t resist, Drake bent his head and put his lips against her sex. Her hips rocked up against him.
“Drake!”
He loved it when she screamed his name. The room had been sound-proofed. No one outside would hear her. Only him.
He licked her clit. Tasted her. So delicious. So good.
So his.
Her hands were in his hair. Not urging him away, no, his vampiress was asking for more.
He’d give her more.
He licked. He tasted.
She came against his tongue. “Drake.” A whisper now.
Slowly, he rose above her. Her eyes were wide, shining, and her fangs flashed faintly from behind her red lips.
“You’re not a monster.” It pissed him off that she’d said those words before. No fucking way. Not her. Not ever. “You’re beautiful.”
She blinked up at him, and her lips curled in a faint smile. The sight nearly broke his heart.
What was left of the damn thing.
He thrust into her, driving deep, joining them. His hands locked with hers, their fingers threading together. The bed squeaked beneath him. In and out, he thrust. Again and again. Their eyes held.
Their breath heaved out.
Faster, faster now, harder…
Her legs locked around his hips. Her feet dug into his spine when she arched toward him.
His claws cut through his fingertips, but he didn’t slice her. Hell, no, he didn’t so much as scratch her with his claws.
Deeper, deeper.
He saw her come again. Saw the flash of pleasure on her face as she eyes seemed to go blind. She jerked beneath him and her sex squeezed his cock.
Yes.
He was so close to coming. He’d explode in her at any moment when she–
“Mark me.”
Her husky words had every muscle in his body tightening.
Wolves marked their mates. He hadn’t marked her before, he’d been waiting. There was an official ceremony, a marking in front of the pack. He’d wanted to do things right with her.
He’d waited…
And lost her.
“Mark me,” she whispered again, and dammit, she was asking for his bite. She wanted him as wildly as he wanted her.
He’d never been able to deny her anything.
She arched beneath him, offering herself. His teeth closed over her flesh, right where her shoulder curved into her neck. He licked the skin there.
Mark her.
It was what the wolf wanted and what the man needed.
His teeth pressed into her skin, breaking the skin, and the sweet flavor of her blood flowed onto his tongue.
Even as he tasted her, claimed her, his climax slammed into him. The powerful release crashed through his body as he pumped into her. He lifted his head, stared into her eyes, and, as he drove into her once more, the pleasure tore a roar from him.
Her name.
Drake held her tight, didn’t let her go, couldn’t. A
nd he kept thrusting. Because he was still hard for her and growing harder every second.
He’d finally claimed her as his own, and no one would ever take her from him again.
***
“How do you lose a werewolf?” Gabe asked as his boots sank into the snow. So much damn snow. Bathing everything in white.
He hated that pure snow.
It looked much better when it was stained red.
So he turned to the right and sliced open the stomach of the incompetent newbie vamp next to him.
The fresh bloods were always so hard to train.
The guy, a blond with too-soft features, immediately fell to the ground, gasping and bleeding with a bright spray of red.
“Suck it the hell up,” Gabe snarled at him because the fresh blood’s screams grated. “It’s not like the wound will kill you.” But he was tempted. Oh, so tempted to finish the job.
The foolish bastards around him had let the alpha get away. They’d let the prick just vanish into the wilderness.
“Probably back at his compound by now,” Gabe muttered as he spun away and stared off into the distance. “Surrounded by all those mangy wolves.”
Gabe had been around a long time. Too long. He’d seen the worst wars and hell that the humans could create.
That hell…it had made him smart. He’d learned from the mistakes of the others. He knew how to pick his battles. Plan his attacks.
He wanted this land. The land that was rarely kissed by sunlight. The land with the savage side that loved his darkness.
The wolves had made a truce with him long ago. Divided the territory. That twisted freak Jeremiah had been all too eager to forge a deal with him.
But the new alpha wasn’t the same. Gabe had known that for years. Drake Wyler was different. Not so easily manipulated and controlled.
Drake will come for my head.
Because Gabe had taken the head of Drake’s father. His mother. And because…
I took her.
A wolf howled in the distance. A real beast? Or a shifter out for a run?
Gabe narrowed his eyes and stared into the darkness. Jeremiah had wanted him to take the little human. To torture her, to kill her.
He’d had his torturing fun. Oh, he always enjoyed that, but…
Gabe hadn’t killed Paige Sloan. Death would have been too easy and not at all in line with his plans.
“Wh-what can we do?” One of the vamps asked behind him.
